About ESBWA
Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia (ESBWA) is an advocacy and education platform for women-led small and micro businesses, entrepreneurs and founders in Australia.
In 2020, ESBWA was founded by Amanda Rose, a small business owner and entrepreneur herself, in response to a lack of advocacy and help for small business women facing unprecedented challenges across Australia.
Since its inception, ESBWA has grown to over twelve thousand members. With a team of Lead Advisors, ESBWA provides members access to mentoring, networking, events and education for female-owned and led businesses.
ESBWA is committed to advocating and speaking up for women-led small and micro businesses, entrepreneurs and founders.
 Meet our Lead Advisors
Our team of business women, entrepreneurs, mentors, educators and advocates.
Amanda Rose
Founder and CEO of ESBWA
Amanda Rose is the Founder and CEO of Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia and Western Sydney Women. She also founded and sold Business Women Media, the first platform of its kind to advocate for women in business. As mentor and advisor to women in executive roles and SMEs, Amanda is known for her strategic, practical approach to leadership and business.
As one of the most influential people on LinkedIn, Amanda Rose (#BossLady) has been quoted as an âinternet winning bloggerâ by TIME.com and contributes regularly to ABCâs The Drum and the Daily Telegraph. Amanda appears weekly on Sunrise Hot Topics, SkyNews Weekend Edition and RnB Fridays with Mike & Emma.
A passionate keynote speaker, professional development trainer and workshop facilitator, Amanda Rose has worked with the Australian Defence Force, CPA Australia, Law Institute, UTS, UBER, ANZ, Local Government and the Royal Australian Navy in the areas of confident leadership, conflict resolution and relationship building.
Amandaâs qualifications include a BBA (Mktg & Psych) from Macquarie University, Masters CommMgmt from UTS, and a GradCert Educational Leadership from Macquarie University. She is currently studying a GradDipBusLaw at Sydney University.
Alongside running multiple businesses, Amanda is a member of the External Committee for Western Sydney Universityâs creative leadership degree, a member of the NSW Governmentâs Council for Womenâs Economic Opportunity, member of the Jobs Taskforce for Sydney Greater West and a small business mentor for the Australian Governmentâs Boosting Female Founders initiative.Â
Kathryn Price
Founder and Director of Ruby Agency
You might also know her as: ânew mum slammed for going back to work a week after giving birthâ (cheers Sunrise, but we still love you), but sheâll respond better to: âfirecracker who chose to be a mum and a business woman and is bloody good at bothâ.
With a crowd of creative and compassionate clients on her books, Kat prides herself on finding the hidden gem in your business thanks to her knack for storytelling, cutting to the chase and keeping it real. She has a no âBSâ approach to PR and marketing.
After experiencing life on both sides of the fence, in agency and in-house, Kat took the leap and Ruby Agency launched on 10 January 2016. The business has grown five times over since inception and 90% of Ruby Agencyâs work comes from referrals from happy clients.
Her mission is to make her clients thought leaders in their industries, and experts that journalists come back for more! She coaches them on different ways they should be thinking about their industries and how to be a change maker/game changer (even for product based businesses). This thought leadership coaching goes hand in hand with PR.
Nicole Kastner
Founder of Australian School Mums
Nicole Kastner is an award-winning businesswoman and proud community advocate.
Nicole Kastner is an entrepreneur at heart. She founded Australian School Mums, the largest community of like-minded school mums inspiring each other with easy access to everything needed during the schooling years. Its online directory connects the best resources and trusted businesses in our day to day life.
Nicole held the reins of what started as a small family business in a male dominated industry and turned it into an award winning business. She has also created a successful e-commerce business and been involved in the foundation of a number of community initiatives fuelling her strong support for small business.
Nicole has worked with Australiaâs most reputable not-for-profit for over a decade, a testament to her credibility, hard work and dedication. Mum of two active boys by profession, an accountant by trade. She practices her ninja kicks with her accomplices and loves a good binge session.
Tiz Porreca
Founder and Director of AMONGST
Whether your target market is B2C or B2B, itâs H2H â human to human â connections that convert.
As Founder and Director of AMONGST Marketing, I know it also takes strategy, not a âscatter-gunâ approach. I get amongst aâ business to create strategies that make authentic, meaningful connections amongst their audience, while optimising existing assets to deliver tangible results, without breaking the bank.
I bring 20-plus yearsâ experience, having worked in companies of all sizes, including high level branding projects in advertising, before establishing AMONGST.
In 2018, I was instrumental in developing Inner West Councilâs Women in Business Mentoring program, also serving as its marketing mentor. Iâve collaborated with Western Sydney Women since it began in 2015 and served as President and in other leadership roles in prominent business referrals groups .
I collaborated with a diversity in sport organisation, Team Sydney on their 2017 Mardi Gras campaign. One of their best campaigns, it attracted participation from international sporting celebrities and received coverage on SBS TV.
Giving back is important to me, and Iâve assisted in fundraising for numerous health charities, including $150,000 towards the Charlie Teo Foundationâs Million $ Mission for brain cancer.
When you work with me you get a âstraight shooterâ who asks lots of questions, to deliver customised, not cookie cutter marketing solutions. And Iâll challenge you to shift how you think about marketing, so you can grow your business.
Wendy El-Khoury
Founder and Director of Wedded Wonderland
Wendy El-Khoury is the Founder and Director of leading 'The Global Wedding Destination, Wedded Wonderland'. She is an internationally renowned entrepreneur, business owner, digital and social media keynote speaker and mentor, and a pioneer in digitising the Wedding industry.
Having grown two million+ followers for Wedded Wonderland and one million visitors at peak to www.weddedwonderland.com, as well as driven over twenty million followers for Wedded Wonderland affiliated businesses and partners, Wendy is very passionate about the opportunities that exist online for businesses and consumers and connecting the two in the most dynamic way.
Wendy is leading the way forward in ecommerce, building a platform that integrates qualified leads, bookings, and transactions for every Wedding experience globally, launched in 2023.
Wendy is an advocate for Small Business Owners and Migrants (born during the civil war in Lebanon), as well as a Philanthropist orchestrating fund-raising event and initiatives such as Togetherland for Australian Red Cross during the Bush Fires of 2019, raising $110,000, the #aussiesforlebanon initiative for Steps of Hope raising $65,000. Most recently, Wendy spearheaded the #saveourweddings campaign during the pandemic, garnering over 30,000 signatures and letters from Businesses and Couples to #saveourweddings. During the pandemic Wendy supported many small businesses through daily updates on restrictions, grants, and changes, which had her nominated for Australian of the Year 'Citizen of the Year' for outstanding service.
Wendy has been featured and interviewed for Studio10, Mornings9, Sunrise, Daily Mail UK, US and Aus, Fortune Magazine, Mamamia, Canstar, news.com.au, AFR and more. Wendy is a Mother of 5 Children under 9, she credits her success to her first love, Australia which has given her and her family opportunities beyond measure.
She has also presented at a number of local and internationally renowned conferences as keynote, including DWP and Engage! Luxury Wedding Business Summits.â
Events Wedded World 'Australia's Largest Luxury Wedding Event' and INSPIRE conference 'Australia's Largest Creative Business Summit' are orchestrated by Wendy's understanding of small business and consumers alike, wanting to connect in dynamic, informative and inspirational environments.